FOR THE RECORD

A rarely used procedural maneuver invoked by U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., stalled final Senate committee action on a controversial measure designed to increase commercial air traffic at O'Hare International Airport.

The plan, which would convert 100 unused military slots to commercial use over a three-year period, has drawn howls of protest from suburban residents and political leaders concerned about noise at O'Hare. If approved, the plan would add 100 flights daily.

The rule that Sen. Moseley-Braun relied on to delay the vote in the Senate's Commerce Committee bars committees from meeting for more than two hours without unanimous consent when the full Senate is in session. The committee must wait until Tuesday to take up the measure again.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Philosophically, all customers are important, and big customers -- by definition -- are more important." -- Unicom Corp. CEO John Rowe, on his company's concern for retaining the federal government's business

CNA FINANCIAL CORP. The Chicago insurer will eliminate 1,100 jobs, or 20% of the staff in its commercial insurance unit, over the next 18 months, including about 100 jobs in its downtown headquarters.

UAL CORP. The Elk Grove Township-based parent of United Airlines blasted the European Commission's demand that United and Lufthansa German Airlines give up 108 airport slots and scale back transatlantic flights to win approval of their 1996 alliance. United filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

MOTOROLA INC. The Schaumburg-based company reported a second-quarter loss of $1.3 billion, or $2.22 a share, due to special charges stemming from job cuts announced last month. Meanwhile, Motorola said it will reorganize its diverse phone equipment units into one division focusing on customers rather than specific products.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES INC. The Chicago software developer said it will cut about 300 jobs, or 12% of its staff, and take a $120-million third-quarter charge. The move is part of the turnaround effort spearheaded by William Stuek, who became chairman and CEO in April.

SUBURBAN COMMUTING. Metra said it plans to spend $188 million to add 12 miles of track between Lake and Cook counties. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate approved a measure that would make a proposed extension to Schaumburg of the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line eligible for federal funding.

PEOPLE. Andersen Consulting named Stephan James, 51, worldwide managing partner of the Chicago-based firm's financial services segment. He was managing partner of Andersen's financial services practice in the Americas. . . . No criminal charges will be filed following a ghost-payrolling investigation involving House Speaker Michael Madigan and former state Rep. Glenn Bradford, D-Glen Carbon, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Sangamon County and State Police officials had been investigating a $20,000 legal consulting contract granted to Mr. Bradford one week after his resignation from office. . . . A federal judge overturned a jury's verdict against Chicago financier Sam Zell, who had been convicted of civil racketeering charges. But the judge let stand verdicts against Mr. Zell for conversion, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty in the lawsuit originally filed by his former partner, Richard Pearlman. . . . Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art settled a lawsuit that accused Camille Oliver-Hoffmann of reneging on a pledge to donate $5 million (Crain's, Jan. 12). Ms. Oliver-Hoffmann, widow of real estate developer Paul Oliver-Hoffmann, who died in April, agreed to give the museum two paintings: a 1990 work by Anselm Kieffer and a 1988 work by Chuck Close.

CHICAGO EXCHANGES. Directors of the Chicago Board of Trade approved a proposal to merge clearinghouses with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Meanwhile, officials at the Chicago Board Options Exchange discussed the possibility of an alliance with the New York Stock Exchange.

McDONALD'S CORP. After withdrawing from Nicaragua in 1979, during the Sandanista revolution, the Oak Brook-based fast-food chain opened a new restaurant there.

BLOOD SHORTAGE. Blood donations dropped over the long holiday weekend and recent heat wave, prompting LifeSource Blood Services, Chicago's main blood bank, to ask local hospitals to postpone some surgeries in an effort to conserve supplies.

AREA UTILITIES. Decatur-based Illinova Corp. warned that its 1998 earnings will fall short of analysts' estimates; the company may post a loss due to high electricity prices and the costs of restarting its Clinton nuclear plant. Separately, Illinova's Illinois Power Co. canceled a $1.8-million ad campaign with the slogan "We're here for you" after the recent heat wave threatened its ability to supply power, Crain's sister publication Advertising Age reported. . . . Naperville-based natural gas company Nicor Inc. formed an alliance with Dynegy Inc. of Houston to build and buy gas-fired power plants in the Midwest.

ABBOTT LABORATORIES. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reprimanded the North Chicago-based pharmaceutical company, accusing Abbott of illegally distributing studies promoting an unapproved use of its seizure medication Depacon.

MORTON INTERNATIONAL INC. The Chicago-based specialty chemicals manufacturer announced it will close three facilities employing 120 people in Massachusetts, Italy and England.

OBITS. Sid Luckman, the quarterback who led the Bears to four National Football League championships in his 12 seasons with the team, died last week. He was 81. . . . Michael Notaro, founder and president of Chicago-based Statistical Tabulating Corp. and co-trustee of the estate of former Bears owner George Halas, died at age 84. . . . Robert J. Day, former chairman and CEO of Chicago-based USG Corp., died after a long illness. He was 73.

ETC. Despite hot, humid weather, this year's Taste of Chicago attracted a record crowd of 3.7 million people, who spent more than $10 million on local culinary delights, including 201,000 slices of pizza . . . . Torrance, Calif.-based computer seller Creative Computers Inc. filed for an initial public offering to spin off its Elk Grove Village-based Ubid Inc. subsidiary, which auctions computers and electronic products over the Internet. . . . Baxter Ltd., a Japanese affiliate of Deerfield-based medical supplies company Baxter International Inc., must pay 6 billion yen in additional taxes for failing to declare 15 billion yen ($107.6 million) in income over three years, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported. . . . Chicago-based securities firm Everen Capital Corp. said it is looking to purchase a brokerage in Europe, Asia or Latin America. . . . Fearing lower-quality service and reduced choice for phone service, the American Assn. of Retired Persons asked the Wisconsin attorney general's office to investigate the proposed merger of Chicago-based Ameritech Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. of Texas. The organization promised to push for similar inquiries in other states affected by the pending merger, including Illinois. . . . Inland Steel Industries Inc. said it temporarily shut down its steel-bar mill in East Chicago, Ind., as strikes continue to paralyze auto production at General Motors Corp., a major Inland customer. . . . City officials rolled out the red carpet for members of the Republican National Committee, who came to town last week to consider making Chicago its convention site in 2000 (Crain's, July 6).

Compiled from Bloomberg News reports and other sources

Contrary to an Advertising Age report mentioned in the July 13 For the Record column, Illinois Power Co. says it did not cancel its $1.8-million ad campaign. The company rescheduled one "We're Here for You" ad when a heat wave overstressed the area's electrical supply. (printed in 7/20/98 issue)